OOCS, Into A Wider Galaxy, Part 664

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(Little shorter than average, It’s got a near perfect end point and it’s my dad’s birthday so I need to make a call now.)

Cats, Cops and C4

(... Finally had a mistake I was making pointed out to me. I need to hurry up on my corrections. Gallia spire is supposed to be Phon Spire. Sorry Youtube Channels.)

More bombs, all in key areas. Primarily throughout the foundations of the school. Professional, well organized. He hasn’t had time to examine the actual timing on things, but Chenk is willing to bet his boots that if they had gone off in sequence the building would be shorn from it’s foundation and caused to crumple. Coupled with the other bombs the entire building just collapses, with extra attention paid to just a few places.

He passes the snipped blast caps to his latest disarmed device to the custodian that found it and then quickly pulls out the payload. The custodians had gotten better and better at finding the wretched things. But they still have more to find. Sixteen total bombs. At least four more. Potentially thirteen.

He digs his thumbnail into the C4 and examines it. Rolling it between his knuckle and thumb. He takes a sniff.

“What’s wrong?” Dispatch asks.

“This C4 has a different consistency. I think this was either an earlier or later bomb. It’s of higher quality. Better balanced, better refined.”

“That’s not good.” She replies.

“It’s a clue. Nothing more. But something I need to say out loud to put it on the record.”

“So what do you think happened?”

“Well... this is a good grade of C4. Very good actually. Something that I would use. The rest has been powerful, but this would be stronger pound per pound. And not need a lot of pounds to be very strong.” Chenk notes.

“Can you just tell?”

“The other C4 was slightly grainy I could feel tiny lumps in it. This is smoother. Better mixed. Properly made. Maybe even professionally made.” He notes.

“Really?”

“Properly made C4 feels more like an art product. A texture like modelling clay. Most of the other ones had a small amount of lumps in it. Not too much, but this... much smoother.”

“Not good.”

“If it’s one off then it’s disabled and a curiosity. We need to establish if this is a pattern.” Chenk says before glancing up and mentally mapping the school. “Are we under the Cooking and Accounting Classrooms?”

It had been kind of funny to know that cooking and tax-filing courses were required with more advanced ones for dedicated students being full blown Chef Prep and Accounting.

“No, your current location is close, but a bit off. You’re directly under the hallway between the more home based courses and the mechanics classes.”

“Hmm... is this the closest load bearing structure to either side?”

“Yes. If any load bearing structure could be said to be directly under Accounting and Cooking then you’re at it.”

“Hmm... Something to see if you can’t scare it out of Erin if Layla doesn’t know.” Chenk notes.

“We’ll scare it out of her anyways. We’ve got eyes on the door to their little sanctuary and lab, even better. We’ve got eyes on their eyes. Some of them at least. When the school is out of harm’s way well move on it hard. But you need to move faster.”

“Why? I’ve already got more than half and haste makes waste.”

“Done is better than perfect. We need those bombs gone. The wind is turning. And with how unstable the one in the cloud is.”

“Got it. Stepping it up. There may be a panic.”

“We can deal with panicked teenagers. Dead ones less so. Keep them all alive.”

“Copy that.” Chenk says and he turns on his scaners, bundles them togehter and starts to move fast through the foundations of the school. Noting every little ping, then as he returns he gets close to each one. Finding several monitoring devices embedded in numerous machines that shouldn’t be there but are not connected to anything explosive or dangerous so he mentally notes them and moves on.

He finds two more bombs and while leaving them intact enough to not interfere with the signal, he moves a lot faster. Ensuring they have no Axiom sensor and then ripping them apart

“Basement clear.” He notes as he throws the now crushed blast caps in his fist and hands off the remaining C4 to the custodians.

“What’s going on?!” Layla yelps as he rushes up and past.

“Situation’s changing! We need the bombs out NOW!” He says as he goes to an unchecked room, scans it with a powerful beam and then rushes from radio location to radio location. Confirms it’s a dropped communicator, a camera that he destroys and the chemical sensors. He moves onto the next room and the next. Finding another camera that shouldn’t be there and three more lost communicators before finding his next bomb. He’s at nineteen. There is at bare minimum one more. Perhaps another ten.

•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Briefing Room Gamma 5, Undaunted Intelligence, Undaunted Territory, Centris)•-•-•

“Alright, everyone in. In in. The sooner we get a good grasp of the situation and begin our task the less chance they have to get away.” Bernice states as the six other Undaunted come in. She uses her tail to pull the door closed behind the last one and takes a wide stance.

“You’re one of the Stream Controllers aren’t you? Bit strange that you’re taking the lead here.” An Erumenta woman with willow like branches and leaves for hair asks.

“Maybe, but I am in the lead and I expect you to follow my lead.” Bernice replies and there’s a nod.

“Just asking in case it’s because you’ve run into something in your drone and that’s why you’re leading.”

“No, but I suspect it’s because none of us have our faces known. We’re all local. Centris Recruits and therefore blend right into the background. Invisible on this world.”

“That doesn’t narrow it down. A lot of people here are Centris recruits. A LOT.”

“Maybe we all just have those kinds of faces? You know, the types that blend in and no one notices?” Another asks.

“That’s also it. We’re all well tested for two traits. A low tolerance for making mistakes, and an even lower one for treachery.” Bernice says and everyone tenses up. “I won’t mince words. We have evidence of either a possible traitor, stolen knowledge or someone who’s learned Undaunted Tricks and Techniques at a terrifying pace. Whichever one it is, we’re the team dealing with it.”

“And where do we start?”

“Level Eighty Four of Phon Spire. We currently have one of our Undaunted Lent out to the police working to disable C4 Bombs in a public school. These bombs are much too well placed and of too high a quality to not be at least Undaunted influenced. We need to find the source of that influence and determine what to do about it.”

“What if we find a traitor? Or a flunker? Those are both very different things. A would be soldier that was discharged, honourably or not, isn’t legally in our jurisdiction anymore. What right do we have to hunt down someone like that?”

“Like I said, we have to determine what to do when we find them. But first we need to find them. And we do have cause to find them. Someone is using the techniques and skills we provide to cause harm, therefore we have some responsibility to stop it. So we shall.”

“I’ve got some sniper training. We can deal with a bomb maker easily.” The Metak of the group says.

“No. We go in soft at first and determine course of action. We already have an entire school being held hostage and while it’s being disarmed, we need to make sure it’s harder to happen twice.”

“Ma’am... there’s no way we can keep this from eventually spreading. The information will get eventually further and further afield regardless of our efforts.”

“True. But until it reaches that point we have a duty. So we shall fulfill it. Now, it’s time we go over our list of failed soldiers.”

“The folder has a list of all individuals with Demolitions Training that we discharged, dismissed or otherwise lost legal control of and can’t simply order into an office to talk to them.” Bernice explains.

“I’ve scanned through it already. The Dark Purple Mnenmi woman notes. “Are we going to scan for those with proximity to Phon Spire or...?”

“It’s been concluded with how swift and effective all forms of transportation are, it will be of low priority. I want a bigger focus on psychology. Go through the notes, and anyone of those two hundred plus people that pings your interest needs to be investigated. Granted we need to investigate all of them, but this is just priority order.”

“Well, I think that proximity is important, so I’ll go looking into the Andinus. They’re ten levels up on the same spire.” The Mnenmi notes.

“Very good Miss Frye anyone else?”

“The fact we had an Aka trained in demolitions and then flunked out is grabbing my attention. And I’ve always wanted to go spear fishing.” The Metak notes.

“No attacking the targets. This is observation only at this stage. Miss Xona.”

“Hey a girl can hope.” The Metak notes as she pulls out her own file.

“You know... I’ve never really even spoken to a Lirak before, seen a few at a distance. But well if we’re going to be studying people might as well start off with a novelty.” The Erumenta says.

“Alright Fern. Micah, Debra and Libra. Do you three have selections?

“Yes, this Valrin, Hellena.” Micah says as her Pavorous tailfeathers spread out a little before settling. “We have some history I’m afraid. Not that she remembers me.”

“No then. Pass that file to another team member. This cannot be personal.”

“Here.” Debra says passing Micah her file. The Merra woman offers kindly. “I’ll take Hellena, we have no history.”

“Then I appear to be on... Stacy? Discharged for sexually harassing superior officers. Repeatedly.” Micah notes as she makes a face. “Oh lovely.”

“And that leaves me for last, barring you Bernice. I have a fellow Carib. It should mean I shouldn’t be as suspicious to her. Hopefully.” Libra notes holding up her file.

“Very good. I will get all your gear ready. Remember, they are suspected at the moment, not confirmed so do not treat them as confirmed enemies, and do not make them confirmed enemies. Do you understand? We’re here to find enemies, not make them.”

•-•-•Scene Change•-•-• (Independent Study Hall, Phon West Public School, Level 84 Phon Spire, Centris)•-•-•

“That’s Twenty Three. Potentially six more.” Chenk notes as the latest bomb has it’s blast caps snipped.

“Problem!” Dispatch states.

“Name it.” Chenk says.

“The threats now include setting off the bombs if they see Mei’Lan again, the winds are still shifting and... GET DOWN!” Dispatch suddenly calls out and there is a slight sound of power surging from the ruined case of the bomb. “She’s swearing at us... you got them all.”

“Oh thank god.” Chenk says as he takes a deep breath. “Holy God that was close. I just disabled the twenty third.”

“That was too close.”

“A near miss is still a miss. We’re not hurt, just... grateful about it. Do me favour and tell Mei’Lan I want to see the tread of her shoes on that bitch’s face. I’ll finish up disposal and gather up the remains of the bombs. And apologize to a few people, I scared quite a few students blitzing the school.” Chenk says.

“Your sister is already off and our bomb girl has had what she was saying cut off. We’re going to move to disperse the drugs.”

“Well done. Well done everyone.” Chenk says as he reaches back, grabs the remains of the last bomb and crumples it into shards of small computer bits and transceivers.

That said he unkinks his legs from around the ceiling reinforcements and drops downwards, flips in the air and lands on his feet.

The door to the room is cracked open and the large or more popular students are peering in. “Got em all! We’re safe!”

For a second they don’t respond. Then the door is pulled open and students come rushing in. He walks out with the broken remains of the bomb in his right hand and the extracted payload in the left.

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